Eli Manning intercepted late, one of three picks, in NY Giants' 36-25 loss to Seattle Seahawks

When the Giants came back and took their fourth-quarter lead, their stadium was rocking and they were dancing. They felt they were in a groove and finally in control of the game.

They never imagined what was about to happen in the final five minutes.

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"We fully expected to win," Tom Coughlin said. "About as miserable a feeling as we've had around here in a long time."

It may not have been as heart-breaking, dramatic or even as big as their collapse at home against the Eagles last December, but the shocked look on the Giants' faces after Sunday's 36-25 loss at MetLife Stadium sure seemed eerily similar. They coughed up what they thought would be their fourth straight win by giving up two touchdowns to Seattle in the final 2:37.

The final one was a dagger. The Giants (3-2) trailed by four, but had the ball on the Seattle 10-yard line, seemingly poised to steal another victory in the final minute. Instead, Eli Manning's pass tipped off the hands of near-hero Victor Cruz, ricocheted off Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor and fell into the arms of cornerback Brandon Browner, who returned it 94 yards for a touchdown that sealed the Seahawks' shocking victory.

It was a wild and sloppy game that included eight turnovers - five by the Giants - including three interceptions and a fumble by Manning and a fourth-quarter fumble by Cruz.

The loss wasted a 420-yard, three-touchdown performance by Manning, and another remarkable performance by Cruz, who caught eight passes for 161 yards, including a one-handed grab of a tipped ball that turned into a 68-yard touchdown.The Giants' turnovers only led to 10 Seattle points, but they completely disrupted their offensive rhythm.

They had their chances, even though the Giants' defense had trouble with the Seahawks' no-huddle offense no matter which quarterback was playing. Tarvaris Jackson carved them up for 166 yards on 15-of-22 passing before injuring his hip in the third quarter. Then Charlie Whitehurst completed 11 of 19 for 149 yards in the second half.

The Seahawks - who had lost nine straight games in the Eastern time zone before Sunday - had only a narrow 19-14 lead, though, thanks to a third-quarter safety when defensive end Anthony Hargrove hammered Giants running back D.J. Ware in the end zone and a 51-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka early in the fourth. That's when the Giants got a magical play from Cruz that seemed to turn the game around.

On a third-and-13 on the Giants' 32, Chancellor read a Manning pass perfectly and jumped in front of Cruz to deflect the ball. But Cruz, off balance, reached out with his right hand, tipped the ball back to himself and made a one-handed catch. Then he took off for a 68-yard touchdown that, after a two-point conversion, put the Giants up 22-19.

The Giants were celebrating, smiling and high-fiving on the field and the sidelines. They felt like the game had completely turned around.

"Yeah, we were ready to go," defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said. "We had a full head of steam going. We come off of a big play, guys are stepping up. We have to be able to go out and seal the deal."

Instead, they blew it. Cruz fumbled on the Giants' next series deep in Giants territory, giving the Seahawks an easy shot at the tying field goal. Then, after the Giants retook the lead, 25-22, on a 26-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, the Seahawks ripped right through the Giants' defense again.

The killer play even featured a mysterious whistle that only the Giants seemed to hear. Before the play, defensive end Osi Umenyiora jumped offsides and several players stopped, thinking they heard a whistle and assuming the play was over. But it wasn't. And when cornerback Aaron Ross and safety Antrel Rolle both tried to cover receiver Ben Obomanu, Doug Baldwin (8 catches, 136 yards) broke free for an easy, 27-yard touchdown catch that put .Seattle up 29-25 with 2:37 to go.

Manning didn't stop. Running his own no-huddle to perfection, he quickly moved the Giants right back down the field where, with 1:27 remaining, they were at the Seahawks' 5. A false start penalty on left tackle Will Beatty pushed them back to the 10.

Then Manning tried to hit Cruz, who slipped as he tried to cut, got one hand on the ball, but couldn't keep it under control.

"I thought I gripped it," Cruz said. "But as soon as I went to grip it in I got hit and it got bobbled up in the air.